Monday September 26, 2005 7:00pm The Seattle Paramount Theater
"I know what it is - you're ashamed of my baking."
In his last independent film "Steamboat Bill, Jr." Buster Keaton serves up his usual antics along with the most frightening and dangerous stunt he ever attempted. A crusty old riverboat captain, "Steamboat Bill" hasn't seen his boy since he was a babe. When "Willie" arrives in River Junction (by train) both father and son are disappointed. Bill expected a strapping lad that could fill his boots while the boy finds his old man a little rough around the edges. The first casualties are Willie's beret and mustache, "Take that barnacle off his lip." Keaton's father "Big Joe" has a small part as the barber. Watch for Buster's trademark porkpie hat in the hat scene, another hilarious inside joke. Willie bumps into Marion King (Marion Byron in her film debut), a cutie from school, and romance ensues. The two soon discover their fathers are enemies. John King owns the town along with the new riverboat. He'd like nothing more than to run Bill Sr. and his old steamer "Stonewall Jackson" out of town and off the river. "This floating palace should put an end to that 'thing' Steamboat Bill is running." The youngsters are forbidden to see each other but of course they disobey. Bill Sr. sends Willie packing just as King has the old man thrown in jail. Willie is duty bound to spring his dad and shows up with a loaded loaf of bread. "That must of happened when the dough fell in the tool box." The jailbreak fails just as a terrific storm arrives and Willie finds himself in a town of collapsing buildings. As in "The General", Buster is then forced into various acts of heroism, a tiny little fellow with almost super-human strength. Keaton used the Sacramento River as his location for River Junction, entirely built for the film and largely destroyed in the storm. Several accounts claim much of the crew walked off the set rather than participate in the filming of a scene in which a building façade falls into the street while Keaton stands precisely where a second story window is located. The wall was constructed at full weight. Had the calculations for this stunt been off a matter of inches, Keaton would have been killed. In another stunt, Buster clings to a large tree which is uprooted by the storm and flung into the river. A crane was used to lift the tree and lower it into the river. "Steamboat Bill, Jr." is brimming with the physical gags that had long been Keaton's stock in trade by 1928. Some gems to look for include a charming scene when Willie serenades a crying baby, his jailhouse pantomime and his walk down the road as he leaves town, then turns back, with the girl on his heels.
"I know what it is - you're ashamed of my baking."
In his last independent film "Steamboat Bill, Jr." Buster Keaton serves up his usual antics along with the most frightening and dangerous stunt he ever attempted. A crusty old riverboat captain, "Steamboat Bill" hasn't seen his boy since he was a babe. When "Willie" arrives in River Junction (by train) both father and son are disappointed. Bill expected a strapping lad that could fill his boots while the boy finds his old man a little rough around the edges. The first casualties are Willie's beret and mustache, "Take that barnacle off his lip." Keaton's father "Big Joe" has a small part as the barber. Watch for Buster's trademark porkpie hat in the hat scene, another hilarious inside joke. Willie bumps into Marion King (Marion Byron in her film debut), a cutie from school, and romance ensues. The two soon discover their fathers are enemies. John King owns the town along with the new riverboat. He'd like nothing more than to run Bill Sr. and his old steamer "Stonewall Jackson" out of town and off the river. "This floating palace should put an end to that 'thing' Steamboat Bill is running." The youngsters are forbidden to see each other but of course they disobey. Bill Sr. sends Willie packing just as King has the old man thrown in jail. Willie is duty bound to spring his dad and shows up with a loaded loaf of bread. "That must of happened when the dough fell in the tool box." The jailbreak fails just as a terrific storm arrives and Willie finds himself in a town of collapsing buildings. As in "The General", Buster is then forced into various acts of heroism, a tiny little fellow with almost super-human strength. Keaton used the Sacramento River as his location for River Junction, entirely built for the film and largely destroyed in the storm. Several accounts claim much of the crew walked off the set rather than participate in the filming of a scene in which a building façade falls into the street while Keaton stands precisely where a second story window is located. The wall was constructed at full weight. Had the calculations for this stunt been off a matter of inches, Keaton would have been killed. In another stunt, Buster clings to a large tree which is uprooted by the storm and flung into the river. A crane was used to lift the tree and lower it into the river. "Steamboat Bill, Jr." is brimming with the physical gags that had long been Keaton's stock in trade by 1928. Some gems to look for include a charming scene when Willie serenades a crying baby, his jailhouse pantomime and his walk down the road as he leaves town, then turns back, with the girl on his heels.